Asserts that students familiarity with African American athletes and sports make it an effective lens to examine the nature versus nurture debate. Includes salient discussion questions and relevant examples drawn from articles and books illustrating opposing points of view. Concludes with a brief discussion of student response. (MJP)

Criticizes Charles Murray's "The Bell Curve" and attempts a more cogent analysis of the respective roles of blacks and the U.S. political economy. Utilizes a sociology of knowledge framework to discuss the evolving nature of blacks in the nation's workforce. Briefly discusses eugenics and the history of racist social theories. (MJP)